topic as it happens, the lack of housing is a global issue and there is a desperate need for a universal solution. The Company Dust and Plotner therefore set up a company and called it PolyCare. It is headquartered in the State of Thuringia, Germany. PolyCare has a research and development center there which works closely with local universities including the Bauhaus University and the Technical University of Munich. PolyCare is supported by GIZ (the German Federal Enterprise PolyCare’s building system has been designed in such a for International Cooperation) as well as the State way that everyone can be involved in construction. of Thuringia. PolyCare also receives funding from Source: PolyCare the EU after winning a number of awards for its technology including the 2016 award for the “Best Job equality for men and women European Idea to Change the World”. There is of course a much bigger objective than to Revolutionary building technologyjust build a ordable houses because the whole of Sub-Saharan Africa su ers from a severe shortage of PolyCare’s building system was developed in jobs for men and women and PolyCare’s building sys- response to several issues confronting the global tem has been designed in such a way that everyone construction industry – these include:a ordability can be involved in construction. The building system speed of build, environmental concerns regarding , can also provide jobs for young people. Each job that use of co te , lack of clean water around the is created in the construction sector results in three ncre other jobs being created elsewhere. The houses will world, skills shortage and shortages of building need furniture and all sorts of other domestic infra- materials. PolyCare’s building blocks can be made structure which then creates more jobs. Considering from locally available infi ll material. In Namibia for that Sub-Saharan Africa has a signifi cant shortage of example, river sand is mixed with resin to make public amenity building such as schools and medical Lego like blocks, which are built for fast construc- clinics, PolyCare’s building process lends itself to the tion of houses. quick delivery of these all-important facilities. Poly- Care charged an organization called EurA (https:// www.eura-ag.de) to undertake a lifecycle analysis of its building system and their conclusion was that “the global warming potential of polymer concrete is re- duced by approximately 60 % compared to conven- tional concrete (corresponds to 16 tons per a ord- able house instead of 36.6 tons CO equivalent). The2 use of polymer concrete performs signifi cantly better in all the impact categories considered. The key factors here are fi rst, signifi cantly longer service life compared to classic concrete, especially under harsh climatic conditions and second, no waste during the construction phase, and lastly, the absence of classic building sand.” For example, building 50,000 a ord- able houses can result in a saving of 1 million tons of carbon emissions. Regulatory clearance for building PolyCare’s latest blocks have built-in insulation which helps keeps heat and/or cold out – thereby PolyCare’s system is both a greener and potentially more reducing the cost of heating as well as air condition- Découvrez la suite “democratic” solution since almost anyone can build with ing. The company has obtained clearance from the de l’article dans l’édition it. Source: PolyCare Agrement Board of South Africa. complète d’engine. 15